The “Greek Entrance” to the Gardens was first used for the 1909 summer season of the park. It featured balconies adorned with the famous Elitch Gardens flowers.
Each season, in selecting plays to be performed at Elitch, Mary Elitch Long strongly considered plays that had been presented on Broadway, as well as the Broadway actors and actresses. Each of the plays performed at Elitch during this season had originally appeared in New York between 1903 and 1907 except for The Regeneration, which opened on September 1, 1908 for only 39 performances. Among the plays presented were The Warrens of Virginia and The Man on the Box.
[Borrillo, T. A. (2012). Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre: A nostalgic journey (a history of its times). Colorado. p.91]
Theatre Staff:
- Mrs. Mary Elitch Long, President
- Ira Hards, Stage Director ident
- Harrison Ford, Stage Manager
Resident Company:
- Christine Norman
- Lillian Sinnott
- Ina Hammer
- Marie Howe
- Vera Mellish
- Ina Rorke
- Wilson Melrose
- Fuller Mellish
- Thomas Kindlay
- Roy Fairchild
- George Probert
- Harrison Ford
- John Daly Murphy
- Jerome Storm
- Mason Stone
- Albert Scott
Productions:
- Week of June 6: The Regeneration, by Owen Kildare and Walter Hackett
- Week of June 13: My Wife, by Michael Morton.
- Week of June 20: The Prince Chap, by Edward Peple.
- Week of June 27: Sunday, by Thomas Raceward.
- Week of July 4: The Boys of Company B. by Rida Johnson Young.
- Week of July 11: The Man on the Box, by Grace L. Furniss.
- Week of July 18: The Warrens of Virginia, by William C. Demille.
- Week of July 25: The Silver Girl, by Edward Peple
- Week of Aug. 1 The Squaw Man, by Edwin Milton Royle
- Week of Aug. 8: The College Widow, by George Ade
- Week of Aug. 15: Merely Mary Ann, by Israel Zangwill, featuring Maude Fealy.
- Week of Aug. 22: Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie, featuring Maude Fealy and Leona Powers.
- Week of Aug. 29: Peter Pan (repeated by popular request).
